Culms 5–6 m, 2–3 cm in diam., apically drooping; internodes 40–57 cm, initially thinly white powdery, sparsely long, white hispid; wall thin; nodes flat, glabrous, branching from 4th to 6th node up. Culm sheaths deciduous, thinly white powdery, usually glabrous or with appressed or erect, stiff, dull brown hairs near base, apex slanted and asymmetrically arched; auricles unequal, oblong to lanceolate, undulate, wrinkled, larger auricle slightly slanted downward, ca. 3 × 0.7–1 cm, ca. 2 × as large as smaller; oral setae undulate; ligule ca. 2 mm, sparsely dentate; blade erect, narrowly ovate, nearly 2/5 as long as sheath, base rounded and joined to auricles for 2–3 mm, ca. 1/4 × as wide as sheath apex, apex involute, apiculate. Leaf blade linear to linear-lanceolate, 10–15 × 1.3–1.5 cm, abaxially densely pubescent, adaxially glabrous. Inflorescence unknown.

Bambusa contracta is similar to B. textilis, but the culm sheaths have larger auricles and a shorter, narrower, basally more cordate blade.

* Bases of hills, around villages. Guangxi (Dongxin).